Where Calling Meets Opportunity: The Power of Mentorship
The topic of women in leadership within the Church remains deeply personal to me. I write from within an ongoing process of healing, shaped by past experiences related to this subject, aware that certain memories can still resurface and momentarily unsettle my spirit. While the purpose of Anna R. Morgan’s Growing Women in Ministry is clearly to empower and affirm, and I desire to engage it in that light, I cannot overlook the ongoing reality that many faith-based institutions continue to limit or overlook women’s leadership within the body of Christ. This awareness stirs a kind of grief—not bitterness, but a desire for the Church to grow in its ability to recognize and nurture the full range of gifts God has entrusted to His people.
Morgan opens her work with a paradigm-shifting statement: “for women to gain power, men do not have to lose it.”[1] With this, she challenges the zero-sum view of power that often shapes attitudes toward women’s leadership in ministry. Rather than treating leadership as a scarce resource, Morgan reframes it as a shared calling rooted in the abundance of God’s design: “Leadership is not a finite resource. It can be created, perhaps infinitely.”[2] This conviction shapes her argument for an egalitarian theology—one that affirms that “the ministry gifts of the Holy Spirit—such as apostleship, pastoring, teaching, and leading—are distributed equally to both men and women.”[3]
Morgan presents a holistic model of leadership development for women, one that integrates spiritual, cognitive, emotional, social, physical, environmental, and ministerial growth. She explains that leadership formation is not simply about acquiring skills but about the integration of inner transformation and external support. As she writes, “while a woman’s spirituality, cognition, and emotional intelligence are being formed internally, two external processes are also shaping her as she interacts with her environment.”[4] Her framework emphasizes that leadership is cultivated through relationships, personal growth, and ministry contexts that either nurture or hinder a woman’s capacity to lead.
I would love to highlight all of these aspects, but for the sake of brevity, I will focus on the importance of mentorship. Morgan notes that “women become motivated to accept their leadership calling when their church leaders affirm it.”[5] She goes on to explain that “once a woman realizes she has been called to local church ministry, she must engage the process of discovering her gifts and then develop those gifts. This is not simply self-discovery but a process of becoming more like Jesus as the gifts grow.”[6] Later, she adds that “for women to become leaders, skills learning must be accompanied by new-identity learning. A woman must learn to view herself as a leader and recognize her influence as it develops.”[7]
Morgan’s own story illustrates this truth in a personal way. Reflecting on her early years of ministry, she writes, “…practical mentorship not only taught me the skills for planning and executing high-quality and impactful worship experiences but also gave me authority in our church.”[8] Mentorship, then, is not merely about instruction—it is about empowerment. It bridges the gap between calling and opportunity, affirming that the process of leadership formation is both spiritual and relational. Healthy mentorship creates the kind of environment where women can develop not only their abilities, but also their sense of identity, belonging, and spiritual authority.
As I continued reading, I found myself reflecting on the irony that some of the strongest resistance to women’s leadership in ministry comes not from men, but from women themselves. I once worked for a ministry-based organization that operated in many ways like a church. When the time came to search for a new president, I suggested to the head of Human Resources—a woman—that we consider a female candidate. Without hesitation, she replied, “I don’t believe a woman should be in that role.” The response caught me off guard, given that the organization had been founded and led by a woman until the mid-1900s. The conversation left me confused and aware of how long-held ideas about women and leadership can continue to shape decision-making, even among women of faith.
I also think back to my experience in a traditional church environment that did not lend itself to affirming women in leadership. To be candid, women had few opportunities for meaningful ministry beyond nursery care, children’s programs, and hospitality. Morgan names this reality when she writes that “a woman often faces unrecognized societal expectations that govern how she speaks and engages others, creating an impediment to successfully moving people forward.”[9]Yet in nearly every faith-based setting I’ve been part of—in my own circles and ministry contexts—women have been the first to step forward, the most dependable in service, and, around the world, the majority presence on the mission field. Still, opportunities for women to serve in pastoral or executive leadership remain uncommon.
As Brett Fuller writes, “I do not believe it was God’s intent to restrict a woman in her gifting and potential simply because she is a female.”[10] His words echo Morgan’s conviction that “leadership is found in relationships and in the communication that shapes those relationships,”[11] and that “power can be life-giving.”[12] Leadership, then, is not about holding authority over others but about cultivating trust and empowering others to flourish. Morgan’s vision invites a broader imagination for what faithful leadership can look like in the Church—a vision in which mentorship, affirmation, and shared stewardship allow both men and women to reflect the generosity and creativity of God’s Spirit at work in all His people.
Morgan cautions that “if we do not provide leadership development opportunities for gifted young Christian women inside our local churches, then they may well pursue leadership opportunities outside the church, thus weakening it.”[13] Her words reflect a clear reality: when women’s gifts are unrecognized or confined, the whole body of Christ loses strength. Yet her vision does not end in concern but in hope. As she writes, “this egalitarian mutuality does not diminish or devalue the role of men but instead elevates women leaders to stand alongside their male partners to steward the work of God.”[14]
If the Church is to live into this vision, it must become a place where women are mentored, encouraged, and trusted to lead. Mentorship bridges the gap between calling and opportunity—it’s where women begin to see themselves as leaders and are affirmed by those who believe they can be. When the Church embraces this kind of mutuality, leadership becomes shared rather than guarded, and both men and women reflect more fully the image of God as they join together in His work.
[1] Anna R. Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry: Seven Aspects of Leadership Development (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2024), 1, Kindle edition.
[2] Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry, 1, Kindle edition.
[3] Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry, 16, Kindle edition.
[4] Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry, 34, Kindle edition.
[5] Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry, 44, Kindle edition.
[6] Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry, 45, Kindle edition.
[7] Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry, 57, Kindle edition.
[8] Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry, 120, Kindle edition.
[9] Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry, 6, Kindle edition.
[10] Brett Fuller, High Ceilings: Women in Leadership (2023), 16, Kindle edition.
[11] Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry, 10, Kindle edition.
[12] Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry, 12, Kindle edition.
[13] Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry, 7, Kindle edition.
[14] Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry, 54, Kindle edition.
About the Author
Elysse Burns
5 responses to “Where Calling Meets Opportunity: The Power of Mentorship”
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Elysse,
May God continue to heal your wounds regarding leadership in the church. May he grant you wonderful mentors who can come alongside you in this healing process.
Do you have women in your life who have mentored you and what has that looked like?
Hi Elysse, Thanks for the thoughtful post. We need to schedule a WhatsApp coffee break sometime soon. Your comment about women being more resistant than men in promoting women in ministry prompts me to ask if you agree with Morgan when she wrote that the association of women in leadership and feminism could be viewed as too connected to political agendas, such as pro-choice and power, etc. (Morgan, p. 23).
Elysse, We’ve had numerous conversations on this topic and together we have taken some drastic actions against unfair treatment due to gender disparities. From your experience, what would be the top three things you would share with a woman you were mentoring?
Hey Dr. Elysse. Grateful for your partnership in this doctoral cohort!
Thinking about the church, I wonder about the role of theology, and how it may have been shaped by time and place. I like that you land on mutual image bearing in your last paragraph. I am always amazing when unpacking the meaning of the word “ezer”. Morgan uncovered this in her book as well, and I wonder, how does properly translating the Scriptures, starting with Genesis, have the chance to change the narrative?
Here’s the quote:
From the very beginning of the Bible, God’s plan for gender equality is revealed. God names woman ezer (Gen. 2:18), meaning “warrior,” “helper,” or “aid.” God himself is described as ezer (Ps. 46:1), which connotes not weakness or subservience but strength and companionship. Women reflect God as female image bearers and are designed to stand alongside men in kingdom building.9 (Growing, 30)
Elysse,
Removing glass ceilings in Christian institutions where do you see yourself in 5 years as Dr. Burns? What role would you like to be in or what do you think you would excel at?
Keep growing and keep working towards this.